No Cafes, No Tourists: Virus Empties Streets Of Old Athens

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — It’s been a while since visitors to Greece sought out souvenirs in Athens’ oldest neighborhood.

The winding streets of Plaka, laid out long before the city imported a grid system, are lined with closed stores behind aluminum shutters. The coronavirus pandemic has kept tourists away from the historic city center that forms a semi-circle around the Acropolis, and the area remained unusually devoid of pedestrians and motorists before Christmas.

In their absence, ancient monuments are a little easier to make out from a distance, fewer horns are sounding in traffic and homeless cats parked in front of cafes are a little less aloof.

Greece so far has imposed two nationwide lockdowns since the start of the pandemic. The first, in the spring, kept the country’s infection rates low. Authorities ordered the second in response to a rapid post-summer rise in reported cases and as of Christmas Eve has seen 4,4,57 confirmed virus-related deaths.

The restrictions have closed bars, restaurants, coffee shops and many other businesses considered non-essential but which make up a large slice of Greece’s tourism-dependent economy.

The number of visitors traveling to the country plummeted 76.1% during the first 10 months of 2020 compared to a year earlier. Spending sank 77%, according to central bank data released this week.

Greece is expected to see a 10.5% contraction of its gross domestic product this year compared to the forecasted EU average of 7.4%, while its debt-to-GDP ratio is set to surge to a staggering 208.9%.

New Lift, Pathways To Open Acropolis To Disabled Visitors

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s prime minister has inaugurated new facilities at the Acropolis in Athens designed to make the historic site fully accessible to disabled visitors.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis chose Thursday, designated International Day of People with Disabilities, to visit the ancient citadel. The World Heritage site is closed to the public due to pandemic restrictions, but it’s expected to reopen when a national lockdown lifts on Dec.14. A new lift for people using wheelchairs has been built on the north face of the hill, while a badly eroded network of existing concrete walkways has been replaced with smooth artificial stone paths leading among the ruined 5th Century B.C. temples on the summit.

Mitsotakis said the project, which was funded by the private Onassis Foundation, will “make the Acropolis accessible to everyone ... without the difficulties associated with the classic route up to the Hill of Acropolis.” Some in Greece had criticized the new 500-meter (yard) network of 4-meter wide (13-foot) pathways, saying they made excessive use of concrete. The Culture Ministry countered that the previous network, which dates from the 1960s and had been worn down by the shoes of millions of visitors, made heavier use of concrete and was in such bad shape it endangered visitors. “I was saddened to realize that over the past months there has been cheap opposition rhetoric, even about this project,” Mitsotakis said. “This is a project for the whole world and, under normal circumstances, it should unite us all.” First inhabited about 6,000 years ago, the Acropolis hill was fortified from Mycenaean times and in the 5th century B.C. was heavily rebuilt with marble temples, including the Parthenon and the Erechtheion, and the monumental Propylaea gates. Until the early 19th century it served as a fortress.

Ancient Greek God’s Bust Found During Athens Sewage Work

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A bust of the ancient god Hermes, in good condition, was discovered in central Athens during sewage work, authorities said Sunday. The Greek Culture Ministry said that the head, one of many that served as street markers in ancient Athens, was found Friday and it appears to be from around 300 B.C. — that is, either from the late fourth century B.C., or the early third century. It depicts Hermes at “a mature age,” the ministry said, in contrast to his usual depictions as youthful.

The head is in the style of famed Greek sculpture Alcamenes, who flourished in the second half of fifth century B.C., the ministry said. After serving as a street marker, the head, at some point, had been built into the wall of a drainage duct, the ministry said.

Travelore News: Direct Flights To Greek Tourist Destinations To Begin July 1

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s long-awaited tourist season will begin on June 15 with the opening of seasonal hotels and the arrival of the first foreign visitors, while international flights will begin heading directly for holiday destinations gradually as of July 1, the government said Wednesday.

Speaking in a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said visitors would be subject to sample coronavirus testing and “our general health protocols will be adhered to, without them, however, overshadowing our bright sun or the natural beauties of Greece.”

Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said a list of countries from which visitors will be able to arrive in Greece will be announced before the end of May. The selection will be based on “epidemiological criteria” as determined by Greece’s committee of experts dealing with the pandemic.

Balkan and Baltic countries, Germany and regional countries such as Israel and Cyprus are expected to be in the first wave of those whose citizens will be allowed to enter Greece, he said.

Visitors from those countries will be able to fly into Greece initially only through Athens’ international airport as of June 15, Theoharis said. Direct international flights to the rest of the country’s airports will resume July 1.

Some countries, however, might be excluded, depending on the situation with their coronavirus outbreaks, the minister said. Those countries would be closely watched, with a view to re-establishing direct flights when the situation allows.

Those arriving will not be subject to mandatory quarantine or blanket testing of all arrivals, but Greek authorities will have the right to carry out sample testing, he said.

Theoharis outlined an operational plan being set in place to tackle any potential outbreaks at tourist destinations, including a designated doctor for each hotel, special quarantine areas and testing facilities on islands.

Mitsotakis noted that Greece has “managed to restrict the spread of the virus. ... We made our country an example to follow in the handling of the health crisis.”

The government imposed a lockdown very early in Greece’s outbreak, and this has been credited with keeping the number of deaths and critically ill people low. On Wednesday, health authorities announced one new death and 10 new confirmed coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of dead to 166 and the total confirmed cases to 2,850 in the country of nearly 11 million people.

But the lockdown has dealt a severe blow to Greece’s economy, which has barely emerged from a brutal decade-long financial crisis that saw a quarter of gross domestic product wiped out. Tourism is a vital part of the economy, contributing around 20% of GDP, and authorities have been anxious to ensure the entire summer season isn’t lost.

About 33 million visitors traveled to Greece last year, spending 19 billion euros, according to Theoharis.

“Let us face reality with courage: April and May was the nadir of tourism,” Mitsotakis said. “So whatever we achieve this year will be a profit.”

Mitsotakis announced a reduction in consumer taxes on transport from 24% to 13% for five months, which will lead to cheaper boat, plane and bus tickets during the tourist season, as well as a cut on tax on coffee, soft drinks and open-air movie theater tickets.

The government’s priority, he stressed, was on maintaining jobs “and helping the sector’s professionals prepare for their big comeback in 2021.”

By ELENA BECATOROS

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Derek Gatopoulos contributed to this report.

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Follow AP pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

The New Non Stop From Newark To Athens

Dubai, UAE based airline Emirates  announced it will launch a new daily service from Dubai to Newark Liberty International Airport, via the Greek capital city of Athens, starting on 12 March 2017.

The new route complements Emirates’ existing four daily flights between Dubai and New York’s JFK airport, by offering global travellers with another convenient access point to the popular New York Metropolitan area.

Emirates’ new Dubai-Athens-Newark flight will also provide a year-round non-stop daily service between the United States and Greece – a service that does not exist today and has not existed since 2012. The airline will operate a wide-body Boeing 777-300ER powered by General Electric GE90 engines on the route, offering 8 seats in First, 42 seats in Business and 304 seats in Economy class, as well as 19 tonnes of belly-hold cargo capacity.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: “The Greek Government and Athens International Airport approached Emirates some time ago to consider serving the route between Athens and New York.  After careful review, Emirates concluded that extending one of our Dubai-Athens flights to Newark would be commercially and operationally feasible. We are pleased to be able to help meet a strong consumer need long neglected by other airlines, and we would like to thank the authorities and our partners in both the US and Greece for their support of the new route.”

Sir Tim added: “The availability of high quality, daily international air services is essential for the development of business and cultural ties. Trade, especially in high-value and time-sensitive products, will be facilitated by the ample cargo capacity on Emirates’ Boeing 777 aircraft. We also expect tourism to receive a major boost from the availability of daily flights year-round.”

Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism of the Hellenic Republic said: “Within the framework of our excellent cooperation, and in line with our common goal for the growth of tourism between our two countries as well as the expansion to long-haul markets, I would like to thank Emirates for having positively considered our request to launch a new Emirates itinerary connecting Dubai with New York via Athens all year round. This strategic choice substantially supports our efforts at the Ministry of Tourism to enhance the already increasing flow of visitors to Greece from the United States and the UAE on a yearly basis, travelling either for leisure or business purposes.”

Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council said: “The Greek-American community has long been anticipating the reestablishment of year round direct travel between Greece and the United States. For this moment to arrive thanks to Emirates – the world’s top airline – is special indeed. Greece’s economic comeback is going to have to include year round tourism and easier business travel. The new Emirates route makes this possible. The Greek-American community will be thrilled with this new itinerary, and we thank Emirates Airline for establishing its route and for its endorsement of travel to Greece.”

The United States and Greece have long maintained close economic relations as well as a strong national security alliance.  For decades, the United States has advocated policies that promote and foster economic growth and further opportunities for U.S. investment in Greece. The United States is also home to the largest overseas Greek community in the world, numbering approximately 1.3 million, and the New York City metropolitan area has the largest community of Greek Americans in the country. 

In addition to serving the large Greek-American population in the New York City metropolitan area, the availability of one-stop same-plane service to Dubai will offer a convenient alternative to travellers headed towards the Middle East, West Asia, and Africa. 

Top 10 Train Station Restaurants In Europe

The romance and frisson of rail travel are the perfect accompaniments to these superb dining experiences in the continent’s top stations

1e Klas, Centraal station, Amsterdam

Named after the former first-class waiting room the restaurant now inhabits, the 1er Klas is a wonderful slice of 1880s glam, with monstrously high ceilings, wood-panelled walls and intricate paintings of wildlife. The menu is wide-ranging and refreshingly inexpensive: you can grab some goats’ cheese with peach chutney for breakfast (€6.50), or go for a quintessentially Dutchkwekkeboom croquette on toast for lunch (€4), while a three-course dinner will set you back less than €30. And it would be rude not to choose at least one beer from its exhaustive list.
• +31 20 625 0131, restaurant1eklas.nl

Le Train Bleu, Gare de Lyon, Paris

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The queen of all railway station restaurants, Le Train Bleu – with its extraordinary frescoes, chandeliers and perfectly turned-out maîtres d’ – is a destination in itself. Opened in 1901 by French president Émile Loubet and completely renovated last year, Le Train Bleu has always been chic – regulars have included Coco Chanel, Brigitte Bardot and Jean Cocteau. The wine selection is vast, even by Parisian standards, while the menu is packed with traditional French cuisine from beef tartare (€35) to red mullet fillets (€46). The set menu is €65 and the quickie Traveller’s menu or €48. The only downside is remembering you have a train to catch.
• +33 1 4343 0906, le-train-bleu.com

Crystal, Jungfraujoch, Switzerland

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 Photograph: Alamy

Perched 3,454 metres up the Jungfrau like a Bond villain’s mountain lair, Jungfraujoch is not only Europe’s highest railway station but its most dramatic. The glass and steel eyrie boasts three restaurants, and the pick of them is Crystal, a swish establishment specialising in fine Swiss cooking with a smattering of international dishes. There’s grilled medallion fish with king prawn (€39.44) or you can go completely Swiss and sample a fondue. The menu is not cheap (hey, there’s even a surcharge for the cutlery) but the views are to die another day for.
• +41 33 828 7888, jungfrau.ch, à la carte menu at gletscherrestaurant.ch

Midi station Brasserie, Brussels

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Belgium’s biggest brasserie is a thing of wonder. Its self-styled “modern baroque” decor was designed by Belgo-Portuguese restaurateur Antoine Pinto and its classic dishes include white asparagus from Mechelen, smoked salmon and mousseline sauce (starter €18.20), and tomato with Zeebrugge grey shrimps (main €19.40). There’s a cocktail bar, an oyster bar and, if this is not enough to mark it out from lesser station buffets, a dance floor. And in a throwback to less frenetic days, the brasserie also has its own cigar lounge
• +32 2 526 8800, midistation.be

Järnvägsrestaurangen, Stockholm Östra

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Tucked away in Stockholm’s east station, this a restaurant is so good the locals go there even if they haven’t got a train to catch. Virtually unchanged since it opened in 1932 (though a stylish glass wall was added in the 1950s), the restaurant offers good old-fashioned Swedish home cooking (vegetarians will go hungry). The short lunch menu (each dish is SEK 95, about £7.50) is changed every day, so you may find yourself trying the potato pancakes with fried pork and lingonberries one day, and coming up with an excuse to return for the mustard-marinated halibut the next.
• +46 8 612 0014, gastrogate.com

Zanetti Eis, Berlin central station

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 Photograph: Robert Harrison/Alamy

Take a break from the currywurst and kartoffelpuffer and go to one of the longest ice-cream counters outside Italy. Excitingly, the ice-creams and frozen yoghurts are labelled in German, so take a dictionary or have fun guessing what the flavours might be from the vibrant colours. There’s a host of cheesecakes and torten on offer too, and while the indoor eating area is somewhat bland, there’s a lovely outdoor terrace where you can lick away at your chosen flavours in the warmth of the sun.
• Facebok page

Orient Express, Sirkeci station, Istanbul

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 Photograph: Alamy

A haven of relative tranquillity in a noisy station, the moderately-priced Orient Express restaurant opened in 1890 but will forever be associated with the 1930s and a certain fictional murder. Beneath the high ceiling and circular patterned windows you can sip a coffee or take afternoon tea with a sweetmeat on the side while examining the inevitable black-and-white photos of Agatha Christie on the walls. Fans of the famous train can saunter down the platform afterwards to take in the tiny but free Orient Express museum.
• +90 212 522 2280, orientexpressrestaurant.net

Restaurante La Estacion San Pablo de Buceite, Jimena de la Frontera, Spain

Five stops north of Algeciras, the sleepy station of San Pablo has a delightful watering hole whose reputation for original food at reasonable prices draws in plenty of non-railway custom. Try one of its speciality mushroom dishes, croquettes filled with ham or spinach, or have a spin on the new tapas menu. In summer, the old stone station building keeps diners cool while in winter an open fire makes it a cosy spot for dinner – accompanied by a glass of wine from one of the many local vineyards.
• +34 956 642244, Facebook page

To Treno Sto Rouf, Rouf station, Athens

Where better to eat at a train station than in a railway carriage? There’s a whole train of beautifully renovated coaches parked at Rouf station and dedicated to feeding and entertaining customers. One coach is a restaurant, another is a bar, while three others are dedicated to art, music and theatre productions. In summer, there’s also an open-air bar on the platform. The menu is short and sweet (and savoury), with burgers, sausages, cheeses and dakos (bread, tomatoes and feta) taking centre stage.
• +30 210 5298922, totrenostorouf.gr

VyTA, Stazione Termini, Rome

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When in Rome, do as a good number of Romans do at the Stazione di Roma Termini and slip into VyTA. It is one of a small chain only to be found at train stations (currently also at Milan, Turin, Naples and Venice and coming to Florence and Bologna soon). The modern, dark and expensive-looking interior hides a secret: while it serves diners everything from pizzas, panini and salad to croissants, coffee and wine, it charges next to nothing for them (€1 for an Americano, pizzas from €3, panini from €4.20).
• +39 6 47786821, vyta.it

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By Dixe Wills , www.theguardian.com